Revisiting Indirect Land Use Change in Biofuel Policies

Policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels have been implemented throughout the world. However, their climate benefits are uncertain because biofuel production can cause GHG emissions through deforestation and other land use changes, known as indirect land use change (ILUC). Existing policies address ILUC in various ways. There is little consensus on how best to incorporate ILUC into policy or even how large the ILUC effects actually are.

This conference will bring together researchers with a range of perspectives to present recent research findings and methodological approaches, with a focus on how they apply to biofuel policy. Participants will revisit ILUC in biofuel policy with these developments in mind, discussing whether there might be new and better ways to address ILUC. The conference will consider emerging empirical evidence as well as forward-looking models, and new feedstocks and/or source regions as well as existing commercial production systems.

The conference will cover two days. Day 1 will provide an overview of existing research and policies related to ILUC. Researchers will present new empirical findings and new models on this indirect land use change, and participants will discuss how understanding has evolved over the last two decades. Day 2 will be a smaller, invitation-only event intended to give researchers and technical modelers a forum to share detailed understanding of these issues and help develop research or policy strategies to address areas of uncertainty. We plan to produce a white paper following the conference to help chart the path forward.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

Sincerely,

Colin Murphy - Co-Director, Low Carbon Fuel Policy Research Initiative, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

Aaron Smith - Gordon Rausser Distinguished Chair and Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley

Julie Witcover - Associate Project Scientist, Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways Program, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis

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Host or Publisher UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies